Personal Statement:Theology 3 - The Student Room

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

Theology confronts me with the most important and interesting questions. Questions such as ‘What is the relationship between God and morality?’, ‘Was the Passion a necessary part of the Incarnation?’ and ‘Is the Bible God’s word or man’s?’ fascinate me on an intellectual and personal level. I have to try and answer these to live my life ‘properly’.

Over the last few years, I have realised that so far my education has not engaged with the questions in life that matter, and, in my more critical moments, it has seemed more about teaching me how to pass exams than revealing to me the joy of learning. One of the biggest eye-openers was James Schall’s book, Liberal Learning. Schall showed how uninterested our education system is in answering the big questions, and argued that most people are let down by their education. Additionally, attending a school biased towards the secular, I feel my education has hardly discussed theological issues, something I look forward to doing at university.

That said, one way my school has supported my desire to become properly educated is through the Philosophy Society, which I headed. Here, we read and discussed Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling. I enjoyed how Kierkegaard started off accepting both philosophy and theology, concluding that if Hegel’s view was true, then faith would be lost, and what could man do but despair? I agree with this, but I disliked the implication that God chooses only a few.

After reading Augustine’s Confessions I started to see how theology can profoundly affect someone. His transformation from sinner to saint was inspiring. I was struck by the dilemma regarding evil’s (in)compatibility with the Christian God. Although we briefly studied this in RS, seeing Augustine’s own argument persuaded me that if God is love and created everything, then evil must be a lack of goodness. Confessions encouraged me to read other books with similar elements, such as Thomas Merton’s Seeds of Contemplation. I loved the way Merton wrote in a personal style implying that he really knows the truth, yet without arrogance and with integrity.

A modern theological book I have enjoyed was David Bentley Hart’s The Doors of the Sea. This made me consider the problem of evil afresh, with Hart addressing Dostoevsky’s treatment of evil and salvation, and concluding that evil is absurd and has no purpose. Like Hart, a God who justifies the suffering of children is one I cannot accept.

How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

During the last two summers I have visited the Taizé community, during which there were lectures on biblical passages and optional workshops. The workshop about the Eucharist in the early Church left a deep impression, especially the speaker’s discussion of Eucharistic theology as coming from a rich Tradition of lived experience and ever-developing thought. This led me to read Alexander Schmemann’s For the Life of the World and Rowan Williams’ Silence and Honey Cakes. In Taizé I enjoyed the sense of a community founded on the issues that matter in our lives. This is one reason I will be volunteering there for two months, next summer.

This year, I will spend three months in Florence doing an Art History course on Renaissance art, which will enable me to encounter theological questions from a different perspective. I will also spend Holy Week with the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow.

Some of the most rewarding aspects of my school experiences were activities outside the classroom. I was a member of both Literary and Maths Societies, and a candidate in the school mock election. I was the cricket captain (holding the school’s bowling record) and on the hockey team. I wrote an article for the school Chronicle about Philosophy Society, and I am writing one about the departing Head. These all taught me the importance of working with a variety of people.

I hope that in the coming years I will be properly educated, and it seems that theology is the only subject that really addresses the questions that will enable me to become so.

What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

Universities applied to:

• University of Oxford (Trinity College)
• University of Durham (St John's)
• University of Nottingham
• University of Exeter
• University of St Andrews

Grades achieved:

• IT (AS) - C
• Chemistry (A2) - D
• Maths (A2) - A
• History (A2) - A
• RS, Philosophy of Religion and Religious Ethics (A2) - A*

How personal statements have changed?

The current personal statement format, with three 'scaffolding' questions, was introduced by Ucas in September 2025. This personal statement was submitted before then, using the old essay-style format. It has been carefully edited into the three-question format, with all of the original wording kept.

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